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What do associates want from their firms? You may be surprised

The associates you hire want to do a good job. They strive to become good lawyers. They recognize the demands that are placed on them for their time, attention and skills. And they are up for the challenge. But they need some help along the way. There are things firms…

May 2, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Start monetizing those unused (discountable) billable hours

Recently, a business trip took me to Paris. As the schedule was tight and I had a number of appointments across the city, I had to frequently rely on Uber to get me places in time. Doing a number of comparable rides over a couple of days, I started to…

Apr 16, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Internal investigations need rethinking in the #MeToo era

As I’ve watched the #MeToo movement gain momentum over the past several months, I’ve been thinking a lot about the intersection of #MeToo and the internal investigations space. In particular, I think the current environment warrants an examination of certain aspects of the usual approach to sensitive internal investigations. First,…

Apr 10, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Frame those onerous tasks in order to motivate you to act

I keep two 5-by-8-inch notebooks with me at all times: one white and one yellow. These allow my mind to rest a little more easily. If I were to lose them, I’d be in a heap of trouble. The yellow one contains all of my daily billable time entries, and…

Apr 3, 2018 8:00 AM CDT

A Nigerian’s 3-year ordeal shows the importance of pro bono work

By the time it upended his life, Tunde had essentially forgotten about the online article he’d written. Submitting it for publication was one of the last things he had done before leaving his home country of Nigeria to pursue a master’s degree in America. Between dealing with his visa application,…

Mar 27, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Go ahead, let someone else own your web presence (not!)

While the world around us is evolving with increasing rapidity, lawyers and law firms are still making fire with flint and dry straw. It wouldn’t be a stretch for me to claim that a disproportionate percentage of lawyers are technologically illiterate. But what’s worse is that many of those are…

Mar 15, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

On a ‘flat’ world, we need lawyers to level the playing fields

This article is adapted from Rules for a Flat World: Why Humans Invented Law and How to Reinvent It for a Complex Global Economy

Mar 6, 2018 7:30 AM CST

Abuse of power within law firms: The rainmaker dilemma

Abuse of power is the common thread behind the sexual misconduct claims that have recently brought down powerful media, political and business leaders. Law firms, which have been beneficiaries of an avalanche of legal work from sexual misconduct, must now look within and confront the dilemma of powerful rainmakers who…

Feb 27, 2018 7:30 AM CST

My path to law: one immigrant’s journey

I watched a lot of Law & Order growing up. My family immigrated to the U.S. in 1988 (the same year that Korea last hosted the Olympics). I was 10 years old and didn’t speak a word of English. Neither did anyone else in my family. As I watched, I…

Feb 20, 2018 7:30 AM CST

The judiciary must deal with #MeToo—and with what I know

Time magazine recently named “The Silence Breakers” as its 2017 Person of the Year in recognition of the #MeToo movement and the people who have spoken out about sexual assault. Some of the Silence Breakers led to national storylines chronicling the downfall of powerful men who used their positions to…

Feb 13, 2018 7:00 AM CST

California’s C.A.R.E. Act provides relief to those caught in a ‘paper prison’

After an uphill battle that began in September of 2017, my client finally knew that her false arrest from 17 years ago would no longer stand in the way of her dream job of being a veterans hospital nurse. Judge Charles Crompton of San Francisco Superior Court stated on Jan. 3 that we were “at the cutting edge of justice.”

Feb 7, 2018 7:30 AM CST

The value of aggressively pursuing information—a tale of 2 cases

Lawyers provide a valuable service to their clients when they aggressively obtain information that enables them to evaluate claims for early resolution. This aggressive pursuit of information may result in higher upfront case expenses, but it frequently enables the client to close out his file more quickly. For a client…

Jan 31, 2018 7:00 AM CST

Is it treason with Trump?

Following revelation after revelation implicating President Donald Trump’s team in Russian efforts to subvert the American democratic process, there are murmurs of treason floating around bars and late-night talk shows. Is there any substance to these accusations? “It’s funny because it’s treason.” Stephen Colbert repeats the line a few times…

Jan 23, 2018 7:00 AM CST

When is it wise to argue with a judge? Only sometimes

Some time ago at a pretrial conference, I heard a lawyer correct a judge over a trivial matter. It did not go well for him. Our hearing lasted several hours as we worked through motions in limine and some evidentiary issues. The lawsuit arose from a motor vehicle collision, which…

Jan 16, 2018 8:30 AM CST

Here are 11 tips to avoid arbitration slip-ups

During nearly a decade as a commercial arbitrator, I have seen some of the most qualified lawyers in the business fumble and flail during what is supposed to be a less nerve-wracking proceeding than an actual court trial. It seems that even seasoned advocates have trouble finding their balance in…

Jan 9, 2018 7:45 AM CST

What do associates want from their firms? You may be surprised

Start monetizing those unused (discountable) billable hours

Internal investigations need rethinking in the #MeToo era

Frame those onerous tasks in order to motivate you to act

A Nigerian’s 3-year ordeal shows the importance of pro bono work

Go ahead, let someone else own your web presence (not!)

On a ‘flat’ world, we need lawyers to level the playing fields

Abuse of power within law firms: The rainmaker dilemma

My path to law: one immigrant’s journey

The judiciary must deal with #MeToo—and with what I know

California’s C.A.R.E. Act provides relief to those caught in a ‘paper prison’

The value of aggressively pursuing information—a tale of 2 cases

Is it treason with Trump?

When is it wise to argue with a judge? Only sometimes

Here are 11 tips to avoid arbitration slip-ups

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